My Dear Secretary

My Dear Secretary
Movie Review

"While it may not do the world any good, "My Dear Secretary" isn't likely to do any harm either, so let's be charitable about the antic comedy which arrived on Saturday at the Mayfair. The picture strives hard to create some mirth in the process of depicting the carefree life of a popular novelist who is more interested in a secretary's looks than her ability to take dictation and winds up marrying one who is intellectually and physically attractive. That the efforts of the cast and the scenarist-director add up to nothing in the way of entertainment is, of course, unfortunate.

But it is hard to figure out how the results could have been otherwise, for the script written by Charles Martin is a frightfully thin affair that not only repeats itself but also repeats on an old formula without any discernible signs of vigor or freshness. Most of the hoped-for comedy is predicated on Keenan Wynn's ability to scorch shirts and commit all kinds of culinary mayhem, including baking pop-overs which explode. 'T ain't funny, though, and the romantic involvement of Laraine Day and Kirk Douglas is a routine misunderstanding which is corrected in a routine fashion. "My Dear Secretary" is eight reels of film in need of a story idea."

T. M. P. - The New York Times
Feb. 14, 1949